Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Medina

For one person, living costs are similar in Jeddah and in Medina: $1,374 and $1,339 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jeddah and in Medina

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jeddah and in Medina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,374 per month in Jeddah vs $1,339 in Medina, rent included.

Jeddah $1,374
Medina $1,339

A couple spends around $2,148 per month in Jeddah vs $1,801 in Medina, rent included.

Jeddah $2,148
Medina $1,801

A family of three spends $2,922 per month in Jeddah vs $2,263 in Medina, rent included.

Jeddah $2,922
Medina $2,263

Jeddah costs about 3% more than Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Jeddah sits 2% above the global median, while Medina is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 SAR 22.67

$5.56 SAR 20.86

8.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 SAR 301

$31.40 SAR 118

155.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 SAR 35.65

$7.76 SAR 29.11

22.42%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 SAR 8.95

$1.59 SAR 5.95

49.69%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

$1.69 SAR 6.36

55.62%

Cappuccino

$3.73 SAR 13.98

$2.69 SAR 10.11

38.66%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$0.80 SAR 3.00

21.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.25 SAR 0.94

4.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$1.43 SAR 5.35

17.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 SAR 4.71

$0.94 SAR 3.53

34.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.76

$2.31 SAR 8.66

1.30%

Eggs

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$2.03 SAR 7.61

19.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.88

$5.42 SAR 20.35

17.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.30 SAR 31.14

$7.21 SAR 27.04

15.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 SAR 49.66

$12.61 SAR 47.32

4.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 SAR 7.98

$2.44 SAR 9.15

-12.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.33

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-11.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.07

$2.28 SAR 8.55

-28.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.32

$1.47 SAR 5.53

14.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.22

$1.38 SAR 5.16

-18.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.71

$1.29 SAR 4.84

-2.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 SAR 4.01

$0.86 SAR 3.22

24.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 1.99

$0.76 SAR 2.85

-30.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.21 SAR 15.81

$1.34 SAR 5.04

214.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

$1.47 SAR 5.52

19.73%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 SAR 9.36

$1.63 SAR 6.13

52.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 SAR 25.17

$7.31 SAR 27.42

-8.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.08 SAR 4.06

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SAR 208

$37.53 SAR 141

47.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 SAR 11.85

$1.35 SAR 5.07

134.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

$1.63 SAR 6.11

7.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 SAR 52.2

$5.68 SAR 21.32

144.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$47.3K SAR 177.3K

$41.7K SAR 156.4K

13.38%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.0K SAR 82.4K

$20.6K SAR 77.2K

6.72%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$90.4 SAR 339

$152 SAR 570

-40.50%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$38.29 SAR 144

$27.74 SAR 104

38.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 SAR 255

$89.7 SAR 337

-24.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.0 SAR 293

$80.2 SAR 301

-2.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.19 SAR 143

$8.94 SAR 33.54

327.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 SAR 44.69

$13.39 SAR 50.2

-11.05%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$769 SAR 2,887

$288 SAR 1,080

167.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K SAR 62.8K

$5,525 SAR 20.7K

202.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 SAR 272

$36.85 SAR 138

96.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 SAR 211

$53.0 SAR 199

5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SAR 375

$67.5 SAR 253

47.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 SAR 351

$69.4 SAR 260

34.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 SAR 2,961

$556 SAR 2,088

41.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 SAR 1,998

$514 SAR 1,929

3.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 SAR 5,356

$756 SAR 2,836

88.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$579 SAR 2,172

43.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,767 SAR 6,631

$2,251 SAR 8,446

-21.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,290

$1,324 SAR 4,967

-13.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 SAR 6,248

$1,209 SAR 4,537

37.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.17

29.26%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$532 38.7%

Medina

$514 38.4% 3.4% $18

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.6%

Medina

$190 14.2% 5.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.3%

Medina

$269 20.1% 37% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$145 10.5%

Medina

$102 7.6% 29.6% $43

Eating Out

Jeddah

$126 9.2%

Medina

$104 7.8% 17.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$102 7.4%

Medina

$107 8% 5% $5.1

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.2%

Medina

$51 3.8% 27.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Jeddah versus $556 in Medina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Jeddah, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Jeddah versus $31.00 in Medina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $190 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

Same time as Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

1,100,093

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Jeddah Medina 330 km

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Jeddah
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Jeddah vs Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,374 in Jeddah, $1,339 in Medina – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,062 per month in Jeddah and $2,008 in Medina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Jeddah and $31.00 in Medina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,374 in Jeddah and $1,339 in Medina. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medina, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Jeddah at $1,374. In Medina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jeddah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.